Rookie Orlov's first goal upends Canes

WASHINGTON -- The Carolina Hurricanes got Jeff Skinner back in the lineup Sunday, so that was a plus.

Jussi Jokinen scored a goal, his first in 25 games. Another positive for the Canes.

But losing to the Washington Capitals stung, especially on a goal by a 20-year-old rookie defenseman who had never scored in the NHL.

The Caps emerged with a 2-1 victory at the Verizon Center, taking the lead early in the third period on Dmitry Orlov's unlikely goal.

"I don't think anyone is going to say that we didn't deserve a point at least," Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller said. "From all areas we had a strong game."

Orlov managed to get the puck past goalie Cam Ward at the near post after Jason Chimera bounced a shot from the left wing toward the net. Jokinen got a piece of the puck, but it skidded to Orlov for a quick shot.

Orlov began the season with Hershey of the AHL. He was playing in his 25th NHL game.

Skinner made his long-awaited return after missing the past 16 games while recovering from a concussion. It was the first game action for last year's Calder Trophy winner since Dec. 7, when he took an open-ice hit from Andy Sutton of the Edmonton Oilers.

Skinner got plenty of ice time and centered a line with Jokinen and Alexei Ponikarovsky. He flashed a few moves, took a few hits, forced a Caps penalty and worked hard, even though he did not factor in the scoring. He finished with 17 minutes, 23 seconds in ice time, had one shot and three hits.

"I didn't really know what to expect," Skinner said. "It felt like in the first couple of periods I was maybe thinking too much. In the third I felt pretty comfortable out there.

"You don't want to go into a game being tentative. It just took a while for my legs to get going and to get in the game. I took some hits and I think I was as prepared as I could have been, and I thought I responded well to that sort of contact."

Skinner just missed on a shot with 3:40 left in regulation that would have tied the score at 2. Moments later, he had a few heated words with veteran defenseman Dennis Wideman, showing he was fully engaged in the game.

"We wanted (Skinner) to just play a simple game," Muller said. "It's a big step when you're out that long and I'm sure he was nervous. But I thought he was fine. He played the game plan."

Playing less than 24 hours after a bruising 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins at the RBC Center, the Canes again had Ward in goal and again saw a scoreless first period in which Carolina had a 13-4 shooting edge.

The Caps had an apparent goal by Brooks Laich waved off in the second period after Laich was called for incidental contact as he crashed into Ward while muscling the puck in. But Washington soon took the lead.

Alexander Semin, who has found the net often against the Canes in his career, did it again. Semin ripped a bullet of a shot that found the top corner - Semin's 11th of the season and his 27th goal in 38 career games against Carolina.

The Canes countered as Jokinen found the net for the first time since Nov. 20. His goal with 17 seconds left in the second tied the score at 1. Jokinen banged in the rebound of a Ponikarovsky shot after Anthony Stewart kept the puck alive around the net.

"Obviously it was nice to get the big goal there," Jokinen said. "It's been a while. I hope I can get a streak going now."

That was the only goal Tomas Vokoun allowed although the Canes took a season-high 44 shots. The Canes put bodies in front of Vokoun and had their offensive chances, whacking at and tipping pucks, but couldn't tie the score.

Against the Bruins, the Hurricanes rallied for three third-period goals. They couldn't repeat it Sunday against the Caps, who have won seven straight on home ice.

"It's unfortunate," Muller said. "It's ... a five o'clock game, and we said before the game we're not going to make any excuses about it.

"We've got to find a way to win and the guys played hard. We fell short but I think they emptied the tank and did what we asked them to do."

Eric Staal's five-game point streak came to an end for Carolina. So did the Canes' modest two-game winning streak.

The Hurricanes travel to Pittsburgh for a Tuesday game against the Penguins. That will be their third game in four days - and Skinner's second game in three.

"(Tonight) was a tough game, a grinding game," Skinner said. "We had a couple of chances there - who knows what might happen. But we played hard. If we find a way to finish here or there it turns out differently."